


First Kiss

by bookwyrmling



Series: Pillar Pair Weeks 2016 [4]
Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: First Kiss, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 22:19:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11860773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bookwyrmling/pseuds/bookwyrmling
Summary: In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, thereby winning the server the point. In professional tennis, aces are generally seen on a player’s first serve, where the server can strike the ball with maximum force and take more chances with ball placement, such as the far corners of the service box.





	First Kiss

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Day 5 of Pillar Pair Weeks 2016. Prompt: Ace.
> 
> Cross-posted from Tumblr.

In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, thereby winning the server the point. In professional tennis, aces are generally seen on a player’s first serve, where the server can strike the ball with maximum force and take more chances with ball placement, such as the far corners of the service box.

Since elementary school, Tezuka had served innumerable aces. Since elementary school, Tezuka had lost points to innumerable aces. It was a part of tennis and every time he grew enough in his skill to catch a ball that would have been an ace, he found opponents at a higher skill set that could send the ball blistering past him once again.

Even with the aggravation and disappointment of a lost point, Tezuka could not ignore the sheer thrill and awe that struck him every time a tennis ball smacked the ground and flew past him with the sound of a gunshot. Tezuka found he could not even sense the aggravation and disappointment when the aces were the sort he could not even react to; the kind that sent line judges blinking and rushing for monitors. The kind that had the server telling the chair to call the score. The kind that made him want to see the server do it again, even if it was to his own detriment. The kind that challenged him to be even better—so that next time he could react.

Ryoma’s lips pulled away from his and Tezuka blinked before suddenly his brain seemed to catch up with what had happened and he took in a deep pull of air, his eyelids fluttering in surprise as his gaze zeroed in on Ryoma’s face—or what he could see of it hidden underneath the lowered brim of his cap.

“E-Echizen?” he asked, trying to find his words, but Ryoma shrunk away.

“Sorry, Buchou,” he said with a thick voice pressed through gritted teeth. Tezuka’s eyes widened and he reached out to grab onto his shoulder when he tried to turn and leave.

“You just kissed me,” Tezuka realized, “You just called me Tezuka…”

“Well, calling you Buchou when I was going to kiss you seemed a little weird,” Ryoma replied in a flippant tone, but he was still keeping his head turned away, his cap’s brim a barrier between Tezuka’s searching gaze and whatever Ryoma was not capable of hiding in his golden eyes.

Tezuka reached out with his free hand and plucked the hat off of Ryoma’s head, only to watch black hair fall into its place as Ryoma’s face dropped further. “I thought you might feel the same,” Ryoma explained morosely, his shoulders tight and raised as if in defense of an oncoming strike. Tezuka tightened his jaw and swallowed when the emotional blow hit him, instead. He had missed his shot. Missed that one had even been hit his way. Tezuka had never felt so disappointed in himself in his life as he did watching the defeat Ryoma now displayed.

He cleared his throat, his hands clenching around Ryoma’s shoulders and cap when the other boy flinched and said, “You should do it again.” Seeing Ryoma’s eyes thrown back up at him in wide surprise sent his stomach swooping but stopped any further growth of the aching hole in his chest. Tezuka had never been the most expressive person, but he tried to loosen the corners of his lips and slip warmth into his eyes as he added, “I’ll catch it this time.”

“Yeah?” Ryoma gasped, asking paragraphs of questions with just one word and one vulnerable look, “Buchou?”

Tezuka snorted and shook his head. Ryoma was right. The title sounded absurd in this moment. “You should call me Tezuka,” he pointed out, “It’s weird to be called Buchou by the person I’m about to kiss.”

The way Ryoma’s eyes lit up at that was like watching the sun rise and Tezuka felt a swelling of pride in his chest at the way Ryoma’s own puffed out. He smiled and it was with reaffirmed confidence that Tezuka recognized the sharpening of soft corners turning Ryoma’s face back into his typical smirk as he asked, “What about Kunimitsu?”

Tezuka blushed, pulling his hand away from Ryoma’s shoulder now that he had centered himself once more in front of Tezuka to cover his mouth. “That…” he began before cutting himself off and clearing his throat from its tight embarrassment. “That doesn’t sound so bad, either.”

The next time Ryoma kissed him, Kunimitsu responded in kind.


End file.
